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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “uptime monitor”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “uptime monitor”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Uptime Monitoring for WordPress – My Website is Online shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall places #8 on merit, 4.4★ from 559 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 LukStack Uptime Monitor 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #19 ↑1 11 too low 9 WP Server Health Stats 9K+ · 4.8★ (110) wp.org #18 ↓2 9 too low 10 Backup, Restore and Migrate your sites with XCloner 10K+ · 4.2★ (129) wp.org #21 ↑2 11 too low 11 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #15 ↑4 3 too low 13 Remote Website Management by Watchful 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Uptime Monitoring for WordPress – My Website is Online 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↑1 11 too high 15 Really Simple Under Construction Page – Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode 1K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Management App for WooCommerce – Order notifications, Order management, Lead management, Uptime Monitoring 800+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 1K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↑1 7 too high 18 Advanced Country Blocker 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Module Control for Jetpack 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 SavaPato Uptime Monitor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 SentWatch – Email Uptime Monitoring 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too high 23 Glow: maintenance & support management for agencies 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Manage – Centralized site maintenance and monitoring 100K+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.